AMAZING PHOTOS OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA (1975-2006)This page brought to you by the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association ... www.bvnasj.org

This is a wonderful collection of photographs! It took some research to track down their origin. Here is Gerald J. Greenleaf, Senior Architect of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, to tell you himself (quoting from his email to me).

"They're part of a powerpoint presentation I made for a Redevelopment Agency Staff meeting last summer (2006).

I came across a dusty box of old 1975 photos in storage. Some Agency employee back then, who unfortunately remains anonymous, did an exhaustive photo survey of a several downtown streets. I thought it would make an interesting, fun and inspiring presentation if I could take some "after" photos from the exact same spot as the originals. I had some 70's-era theme music playing as I ran the show. It was a big hit and now seems to have taken a life of its own.

I'm glad people enjoy it.

"

I, along with many other people, received Gerald's presentation as part of an email. The photos played one at a time, and it frustrated me to have to flip back and forth to compare the shots. I simply took the photos out of the presentation and transferred them to this web page so people could view them side by side.

After some comments by viewers, I've added some information about each scene.

How about a small collection of 2007 aerial photos of downtown San Jose?

Another email I received as a result of posting this page came from Marc E. Powell, currently a Senior Signal Designer at Hexagon Transportation Consultants.:

From 1978 to 2000, I was a City of San Jose employee working in what is currently the Department of Transportation. In the early 1980's (I can't recall exactly when) I salvaged the box of rolled-up pictures and negatives from office trash. The box sat under my desk for at least 15 years until, shortly before I left the City, I gave it to a Redevelopment Agency employee. Unfortunately, I can't recall his name. At any rate, I was beginning to regret having given away the pictures, since I feared that they had finally made into the "landfill" I had saved them from so many years earlier. I am glad to see that they are safe and are being used for a good purpose.